Ever heard of stories about old people storing their life savings in shoe boxes or some hole in the wall of their homes? Financially, that’s a bad move for several reasons. What if the house burnt down? Shoe boxes can’t protect those bills from fire. And letting all that cash “sleep” without earning interest is just wasted opportunity. Here are some ideas on what to do with the money.

Consider diversifying. If you have enough money in your savings account. Consider diversifying where you place it. Savings accounts usually have measly interest rates and it’s better off stored in other types of accounts or investments

Put up an emergency fund. Before diversifying, make sure that you have an umbrella for the rainy day. Consider taking out 6 to 12 months’ worth of living expenses and place them in a highly accessible savings account.

Get a high-interest deposit account. Now that you have an emergency fund, consider placing your money where it can earn. How much it earns depends on the risk you’re willing to take. Certificates of Time Deposit commits your money to a longer term to the bank but it earns a tad more interest than a regular savings account. And they’re protected by the FDIC even if the bank goes bust.

Get insurance and retirement funds. Worried about the wife and the kids just in case you suddenly pass away? Get some insurance with your money.

Buy bonds and stocks. Stocks can earn you higher but has more risk (you can lose money).  Bonds are like lending the bank your money for them to use. Depending on the type of bond. Still, this can carry risk. But since you already have an emergency fund and some money stashed away (in CTDs), you may try and grow part of your money this way.

Invest on property. Thanks to the housing bubble crash, it’s still a good time to buy good but cheap property. Real estate values can fluctuate but at least you’re owning something tangible. Besides, you can always rent out property even if you decided not to live in it.

First, as with any electronic systems, new wiring can be a dangerous business if not done by a professional electrician. Even if you can get the system working without professional help, there is no guarantee that it has been done correctly. It is also important to remember that those loose wires can be a fire hazard and liability to your home.

Secondly, though you may know your home and vision of the dream entertainment system, only professional technicians know how to install the new technology so that it will function at its optimum best. Placing surround sound speakers is more than an issue of aesthetics, it is also a science of creating the best angles and environment for sound to travel in the room. Professionally trained and certified technicians will have plenty of experience installing home theaters and will have helpful suggestions and useful tips on how to get the most out of your new system. Whether you want to have exciting sports parties, romantic movie nights, or fun television time with friends, each home entertainment theater can be arranged to suit any of these needs.

For these reasons and others, installing a new home theater is best done by professionals who are trained and knowledgeable. They will make sure your systems are set up for maximum entertainment experience.
  ]]> http://www.lifespy.com/2011/leave-it-to-the-pros-home-theater-installation/feed/ 0 http://www.lifespy.com/2011/sculpt-your-plan-to-sculpt-your-body/ http://www.lifespy.com/2011/sculpt-your-plan-to-sculpt-your-body/#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:52:21 +0000 Guest http://www.lifespy.com/?p=7137 Fitness – a word that evokes either joy or loathing. Exercise and a healthful, balanced diet are necessary for the human body to perform efficiently. No matter your present fitness level, it is vital to workout on a regular basis and put the right foods in your body in order to stay as healthy as possible. But in a society that mandates that your monthly calendar fill up more quickly than your water bottle, what is a person to do? The foods that are fastest to prepare and most readily available are usually the most unhealthy, and, oftentimes, exercise is only an option occasionally. The solution? Be realistic and practical, and choose a plan that works for you.

When it comes to exercise, every fitness plan doesn’t work for everybody. Take the time to explore the endless options. You can choose a fast-paced, high intensity, thirty minute plan to burn fat and sculpt muscle quickly, or indulge in long runs to get your blood pumping. If you have access to a good local trail, invest in a bicycle. Bikes are great because you can use them for training or racing, but you can also use them throughout the day for transportation to work or the store. Walking is also a great way to burn calories. You can even do exercises in your home, such as jumping rope, circuits that include push ups and body squats, or DVD workouts that are widely available in stores, on television, or online. If you need a push, join a gym and hire a personal trainer, or workout with an encouraging friend. Whatever workout plan you choose, make sure you do it at least three times weekly to reap its advantages. And choose something you like. Otherwise, you won’t do it for longer than a week.

Just as important as the way you move your body is the fuel that you put inside of it. Diet is actually quite simple. You should eat every three to four hours, alternating between meals and snacks, starting with a full meal for breakfast. For meals, half of your plate should be comprised of colorful vegetables. The closer to raw, the better. One quarter should be whole grains, such as pasta or rice. Meat servings should be lean and no bigger than the palm of your hand. For snacks, choose fruit, vegetables, or yogurt. Only drink water or healthy teas, and use Monavie as a supplement to fill all the holes. Monavie is a high-density juice made from the purees of such superfruits as blueberries and acai berries.

The hardest part of pursuing fitness is making a plan. Find something that lines up with your schedule, interests, and taste buds, and you’ll be on the road to staying fit for life.

A virtual private network (VPN) allows a secure connection via unsecured public networks. A common business scenario is an employee using a VPN to access the company network from the road or at home. A core advantage to a VPN is the low resource demands. The server only has to maintain its end of the connection and serve the requested data. Any resource-intensive processing occurs on the machine that established the connection.


A virtual desktop, on the other hand, is an individual user interface stored on a remote server. This desktop virtualization separates the software from the physical machine. In this scenario, the local machine is only responsible for maintaining its end of the connection, sending input and displaying the results on screen. Everything else, including the resource-intensive processing, occurs on the remote server.

Compared to virtual private networking, there are a number of key benefits to a modern virtual desktop architecture, such as the one provided via a Dell virtual desktop system. This strategy is more consistent and reliable. It is more cost-effective and resource-efficient. It is faster and safer. It provides centralized administration, fewer compatibility issues and improved data integrity. It is also less demanding on clients and thus less complex.

In many business scenarios, consistency is a crucial factor because it translates to savings. Yet consistency is near impossible to achieve using traditional VPNs because each client connects to the system with a different configuration. With virtual desktops, the user’s configuration is irrelevant to performance, and this equates to savings because the system is more compatible and does not have to account for so many variables.

Customer service, in particular, greatly benefits from the use of virtual desktops, both in terms of performance and cost. Using the Dell virtual desktop, for instance, companies do not even require a centralized customer service representative (CSR) solution. Instead, the server can distribute the virtual desktops, which has video communication and the appropriate software client automatically, to CSRs, who can even be working from home.

The other most important issues are security and data integrity. With a VPN, there is diminished data integrity because the system relies on the client to send the updated data. With a virtual desktop, the updated data is automatically on the server. In terms of security, the virtual desktop is more secure because it is far more difficult to compromise the system when the most sensitive elements exist only on the server.

Just yesterday, a few friends of mine got to talking about working from home. Some companies have started to open up to the idea of letting people work from home. For companies this can actually be a good thing. They save up on overhead. They save up on space. But there can be dangers.

Distractions. I’ve tried the whole work from home thing. And while you can contemplate on hacking away at work comfortable in your pajamas, home can provide a whole lot of distractions that you don’t have at work. The TV. The chores. The pet. The kids. The oh-so-inviting bed.

Discipline. That means that working from home entails discipline. It’s just too easy to get caught in doing other stuff at home. You might even have to set up a home office and establish a routine just to make sure that you get on top of work.

Cost of overhead. One factor that people might overlook is the cost of overhead. At home, you might also carry the expense of just being there – electricity, cooling/heating, communications… At the office, these are all provided for. Sure, you might save on transportation but there are other costs to consider.

Monitoring and control can be a challenge. While there are plenty of online collaboration tools available (project management, document sharing, conferencing…) there is just no substitute to physical proximity. For managers, monitoring people can be a challenge.

One funny thing happened to me yesterday. I had one of those (rare) blue screen of death crashes on my Windows 7 machine. Happened randomly but I guess it was thanks to a faulty USB modem driver. Anyway, after I restarted and launched my Google Chrome browser, I noticed that all my settings and extensions vanished. Uh-oh. Good thing there’s this solution, I’m sharing with you.

1. Launch Windows Explorer

2. Navigate to C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\

3. Right-click on the User Data folder

4. Select Properties

5. Go to the Previous Versions tab

6. Select a version that’s before the crash happened

7. Click the Restore button

8. Wait for Windows to restore the folder

9. Launch Chrome again. You might have lost some activity but at least the Bookmarks and Extensions will be back.

House work can be really tough and draining. All the little chores left and right do not seem to end if you want to keep your home clean, tidy and in order. The good news is, a little planning, redecorating and remodelling can cut the amount of work to maintain your home. Here are some tips on cutting those household chores in half.

• Wipe of spills from furniture as soon as you spot them. This will save you time and energy if these small spills turn into stubborn stains.
• Put indoor plants in saucers or plates to prevent water spills on the floor.
• Place coat racks by the front door on top of a waterproof mat. This should prevent water spills during rainy days. Make sure you place a container for wet umbrellas as well.
• Buy a vinyl board or a blackboard for your children to discourage them from writing on the walls. A restricted play area will prevent the toys from appearing on random corners of the house.
• Install low clothes rack so that the children can arrange their clothes on their own.
• Opt for water-based art materials for the children’s art corner or art room. This will save you a lot of time and effort in removing your kids’ artwork from the living rom walls
• Hold a garage sale to prevent your attic from piling up with unnecessary stuff
• Clean-up oven and stove spillovers immediately.
• Discourage all members of the family from eating in bedrooms. Always have meals in the dining room or the kitchen.

Being a tightwad doesn’t mean that you have to be a horrible Scrooge of a cheapskate. Sure, asking for discounts is one thing, but there are times that doing it can be in bad taste. These days, saving even a few cents is pretty much understandable but mind you that there are times when it can be annoying. Here are a few tips on how to haggle in good taste.

Mind the context. Haggling is usually best done in garage sales and flea markets and not shops and stores. However, you may try asking for discounts in those venues as well. Keep in mind that haggling is not commonplace in grocery stores and discount stores and that asking for discounts on items might cause clerks to raise an eyebrow.

Try sale items and coupons first. For venues such as shops and stores, discounts are usually reserved for sale items and coupons. So you might want to try the sale rack or clipping coupons. The internet has boatloads of information on sales and coupons so try those first. Stores are obligated to honor them and you need not haggle anymore.

Ask politely. Negotiations are more effective when the other party is at ease and has a positive take on you. Some cheapskates appear and sound confrontational or demanding when asking for discounts. Mind your tone and ask politely.

No low-balling. Don’t expect huge discounts. A few cents off would can be a welcome discount for items worth a few dollars. Unlike in flea markets where you can take more than a half off, be glad if shops and stores already give you a dollar discount on an item.

High-quality clothing should not vary among different age groups and gender. Kids’ sizes may be smaller, ladies’ wear may have more variety and men’s clothes may be pretty basic but the factors that contribute to the quality of the clothing are still the same. Here are some tips on spotting high-quality clothing for your next shopping trip.

Stitching. Always look for small and regular stitching. An ideal stitch should measure at about 0.08 to 0.10 inches or about 10-12 stitches per inch. There should be reinforced stitching or double stitching on the joint areas and other points of strain including the elbows, knees and shoulder/underarm area.

Fabric. If you are looking for everyday wear, avoid light-weight and flimsy fabrics as these can be torn or worn out easily. Fabric for kids’ clothes should not be heavy and think except on winter wear. Tightly woven or knitted fabric will last longer and be more resistant to shrinking than loosely woven fabric. Run through the fabric with your fingernails to see if there are any starch flakes. Starch can make poor-quality fabric appear better.

Pattern. High-quality clothing have patterns woven into the fabric and not ironed or printed on. Check the reverse side of the clothing to see if the pattern has been printed on. Should you want to buy printed patterns, remember that large printed patterns on clothes would soil and show wrinkles faster than small printed designs.

Seams and buttons. Seams should be wide and finished. Otherwise, they can loosen after wearing for a few times. Pocket seams should have reinforced stitching. Also, make sure that the buttons, hooks or any other accessory on the clothing should be sewn tightly and securely.

Most people especially the elderly are not too happy about impolite children. They will lecture your kid to no end even if they are straingers. Even teachers can have bias against children who do not show any manners to them during class. Don’t let your kid be the object of people’s frowns. Here are some tips on reinforcing manners on your kids.

Don’t let a single misbehavior pass you by. Interject ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ and let your children repeat their statement with manners as soon as you spot their misbehavior. Repeated calls to their misdemeanor would teach them to always say ‘please’, ‘thank you’ or any other kind words. This method works well for toddlers and young kids. You may want to tone it down on your teenagers since they would consider your reminders as annoying and ignore you completely.

Be the perfect example for good manners and acknowledge your weak moments and lapses. Kids learn better if they see that the people around them, especially their parents, are doing it consistently. However, if there are moments when you forgot to be in your best behaviour, recognize your rude and disrespectful behaviour and apologize for it. That way, your kids can witness first hand that misbehavior should not pass by without an apology.

Young kids would understand the purpose of good manners if you explain to them the reason why people need to be on good behavior. Of course, you can tell them that good manners reflect the breeding and the social status of a person. But more importantly, you need to tell them that displaying good manners to people would make them feel appreciated and not treated as a lowly subordinate.